Posted:
As usual, Arshi, I loved your post, but not the episode as much as you did.
The problem with Daadi is that she does not understand that nothing can be retained unchanged, for change is the one certainty in life. And there is no such thing as doing nothing (to change things), for inaction itself is a form of action, as it has definite consequences.
So, when she thinks that by avoiding all investigation of the Kund, and not provoking the Sri Santh Panth, all will be well, she could not be more wrong. Hatred and the savage desire to dominate cannot be foiled by the tactics of an ostrich.
But the most disturbing thing about Daadi is that she seems perfectly ready to forgive and forget the destruction of her family and of the Brahma Nisht Panth by Balivesh and Naanu, but she cannot forgive Shivanand for his probing of the miracle of the Kund and for his devotion to vigyan,This is truly incomprehensible, as much as her total indifference to all that her son went thru. And because of this hard heartedness and incredible obtuseness, I am unable to share your reluctant admiration for her, yours, Shreya's and that of some others.
Daadi may be kind and compassionate to the kalpavaasis, but she is at heart an aggressive, obstinate dinosaur, and she belongs in a museum. And how does she acquire the sole rights to the governance of the Brahma Nisht Panth anyway? In our tradition, it is the son who inherits his father's mantle, not the widow. Strange, the way she asserts her sole right to the Panth, and the way in which the eternally paanv padofying Shivanand never questions it. He has as much right to the Brahma Nisht parampara as she has.
As for our ancient Rishis, as Meenakshi has rightly noted, their aastha and gyaan were not at all as allergic to vigyan as Daadi would have it. In fact the Rishi Kanada, who was an agnostic, if not an atheist, is widely credited with having originated the atomic theory of matter long before Dalton.
As for the concept articulated by Shivanand, of all matter being sound, modern quantum physics says that the fundamental building blocks of matter, the protons, electrons, positrons, neutrons and other smaller, fundamental building block particles, can all be explained as either waves or quanta, or packets of energy, the two being interconvertible. But the wavelengths of these particles, and thus their frequencies, would not be in the audible range at all. So these particles would be waves, yes, but they could not be heard as sound.
This aspect of the Rithambara pragnya that Shivanand cites is thus stretching the edges of physics to fit a fantasy framework. This does not rule out the idea of a seeker getting a particular sensation, from a particular object; it merely means that an object cannot be visualised as a vibration.
The explanation for Maya getting hit by Balivesh's thugs has been very neatly and convincingly scripted, but what was it with all those swords et al and about half a dozen men with all that ironmongery to kill just one fragile woman? And to do that openly, at the Mahakumbh? It is utter nonsense.
But perhaps it will allow from some of the dishum dishoom that I have missed of late, as Rudra takes on the SSP gang. I hope it is better than the tepid one where Charles and Rudra rescued Maya and Katherine rescued herself.
Shyamala
The problem with Daadi is that she does not understand that nothing can be retained unchanged, for change is the one certainty in life. And there is no such thing as doing nothing (to change things), for inaction itself is a form of action, as it has definite consequences.
So, when she thinks that by avoiding all investigation of the Kund, and not provoking the Sri Santh Panth, all will be well, she could not be more wrong. Hatred and the savage desire to dominate cannot be foiled by the tactics of an ostrich.
But the most disturbing thing about Daadi is that she seems perfectly ready to forgive and forget the destruction of her family and of the Brahma Nisht Panth by Balivesh and Naanu, but she cannot forgive Shivanand for his probing of the miracle of the Kund and for his devotion to vigyan,This is truly incomprehensible, as much as her total indifference to all that her son went thru. And because of this hard heartedness and incredible obtuseness, I am unable to share your reluctant admiration for her, yours, Shreya's and that of some others.
Daadi may be kind and compassionate to the kalpavaasis, but she is at heart an aggressive, obstinate dinosaur, and she belongs in a museum. And how does she acquire the sole rights to the governance of the Brahma Nisht Panth anyway? In our tradition, it is the son who inherits his father's mantle, not the widow. Strange, the way she asserts her sole right to the Panth, and the way in which the eternally paanv padofying Shivanand never questions it. He has as much right to the Brahma Nisht parampara as she has.
As for our ancient Rishis, as Meenakshi has rightly noted, their aastha and gyaan were not at all as allergic to vigyan as Daadi would have it. In fact the Rishi Kanada, who was an agnostic, if not an atheist, is widely credited with having originated the atomic theory of matter long before Dalton.
As for the concept articulated by Shivanand, of all matter being sound, modern quantum physics says that the fundamental building blocks of matter, the protons, electrons, positrons, neutrons and other smaller, fundamental building block particles, can all be explained as either waves or quanta, or packets of energy, the two being interconvertible. But the wavelengths of these particles, and thus their frequencies, would not be in the audible range at all. So these particles would be waves, yes, but they could not be heard as sound.
This aspect of the Rithambara pragnya that Shivanand cites is thus stretching the edges of physics to fit a fantasy framework. This does not rule out the idea of a seeker getting a particular sensation, from a particular object; it merely means that an object cannot be visualised as a vibration.
The explanation for Maya getting hit by Balivesh's thugs has been very neatly and convincingly scripted, but what was it with all those swords et al and about half a dozen men with all that ironmongery to kill just one fragile woman? And to do that openly, at the Mahakumbh? It is utter nonsense.
But perhaps it will allow from some of the dishum dishoom that I have missed of late, as Rudra takes on the SSP gang. I hope it is better than the tepid one where Charles and Rudra rescued Maya and Katherine rescued herself.
Shyamala
Well said Minaxi. All gyan has Vigyan and Vigyan will lead to gyan.I don't think Dadi's gyan is bookish.Gyan is also bahu-aayami - multi faceted and multidimensionalDadi's gyan that what is natural must be preserved as is comes from her world view and her experience and has truth in it.Prof rao's gyan - that we can use technology to tap natures resources for the benefit of mankind - us another truth and comes from his world view and experienceThe balance that Rao talked about - therein lies the answer - but who defines that balance - that is the key question!
It was a good epi.
By Gyani means having knowledge. But Gyani without realisation of that Gyan is someone who has just learnt the books without experiencing that knowledge. Dadi seems to be one of them.
If she had realised her Gyan, she would understand use of Vigyan in it.
All the Gyan has Vigyan attached to it. Our Rishis who wrote different scriptures were well aware of the Vigyan connected to it.
Gyan is the result of someone's experience & experiment. Vigyan makes one understand how & why the wisdom Gyan states.
The game has just begun. Lets see how far dadi's views stands.
Thapadia mai's quolity is really special. That's why she is able to judge people quicker.
